Music (and Math) Man
Chair
of Mathematics and Computer Science Department and Associate Professor of
Mathematics Eric Barth, Ph.D., has received
a grant from the Great Lakes Colleges Association (GLCA) to explore formal
connections between two areas of intense interest to him: mathematics and
music. With his GLCA New Directions Initiative grant, Professor Barth will work
to develop mathematical and computational models for music theory and analysis.
“My goal is to elucidate patterns and correlations that emerge from collections
of musical compositions, with the aim of identifying characteristic properties
in a composer’s work not apparent from minute analysis of individual motifs and
isolated pieces.” Barth’s research, titled “Scientific Computation to
Computational Musicology,” draws on his undergraduate training in
classical and jazz music performance, Ph.D. work in numerical mathematics, and
research background in statistical mechanics. Barth earned a B.A. degree in
music and both M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in mathematics from University of Kansas.
He spent three years as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Associate at
the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at New York University before
coming to “K” in 1997. Each year, he teaches courses in differential
equations and complex variables, as well as several sections of calculus and
one or two physics courses. He also plays tenor saxophone with the nearby Gull
Lake Jazz Orchestra. The GLCA New Directions Initiative is funded by a generous
grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The Initiative’s focus is to
support the renewal and continued professional growth of liberal arts faculty
members. A particular emphasis is to help faculty members think outside
traditional boundaries and divisions of their discipline and of typical faculty
work, in order to broaden intellectual perspectives, stimulate innovation in
pedagogy, and pursue singular explorations.